LEOPARD CALLED ARTEK SET A RECORD
Arriving at the cluster, where the predator stayed for a record 154 hours, an employee of the Caucasian Reserve has found the remains of a large wild sow in a small clough, the slopes of which were covered with dense thickets of thorn and apple trees.
«Apparently, the victim was obtained while feeding apples, lying in abundance on the ground. The boar was an adult, head length is 44 cm, and age, probably at least 4-5 years, which is observed for the first time since leopards were introduced into the wild. Usually the boars victims were young», - said Sergey Trepet, research officer the Caucasian biosphere reserve, member of WWF-Russia monitoring group.
«This fact suggests that the leopard has adapted perfectly in the wild, successfully implements hunting skills and is confident enough to get a large prey. It is important to note that Artek has never been seen by locals. All this suggests that the preparation of leopards for life in the wild in the Sochi National Park Breeding Facilities is fully consistent with the objectives of the Reintroduction Program. The chance of meeting a leopard is low, - explains Valery Shmunk, Director of the "Russian Caucasus" Ecoregional Office, WWF-Russia, - The victim was almost completely eaten, there were left only head eaten from the bottom part, skin and lower limbs. There was a den nearby, it can be assumed that it belonged to the leopard».
The Program is implemented by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation with the participation of the Sochi National Park, Caucasus (Kavkazsky) State Nature Biosphere Reserve, A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow Zoo and WWF-Russia, and supported by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
Photo in the template: (с) Sergey Trepet / WWF-Russia.